Cho
by raven babe
Summary: You're fifteen, pretty and athletic, with lots of friends (and admirers as well). Everything was going great until tragedy strikes. The one person you cared for the most died. This is HP Goblet of Fire, from the point of view of Cho Chang.
1. Cho's Dilemna

Summary: This is what the Goblet of Fire would have been from Cho Chang's point of view. There's not much said about Cho in the first four books. This story is what I think Cho would have been, her character and what she went through during her fifth year at Hogwarts.  
  
The story starts with HP Book 4 Chapter 22, up to the end of her fifth year.  
  
Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Cedric Diggory, Poliakoff, Professor McGonagall and Sleekeazy's Hair Potion (and all other HP terminologies) are obviously not mine but JK Rowling's intellectual property. As a matter of fact, all characters in this story are JK Rowling's, except for the following: Pam, Jane, Crystal and Patrick (plus the Wise Old Man.)  
  
  
===============================================  
Cho's Dilemna  
  
(This chapter occurred concurrently with parts of "Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, Chapter 22 - The Unexpected Task")  
  
"Wind chaser."  
  
The portrait of the Wise Old Man swung open. Cho stepped into the portrait hole and on to the Ravenclaw common room. Pam, Jane and Crystal were right behind her, all three still giggling about that little incident after their Defense Against the Dark Arts class.   
  
"You're still not telling us, are you?"  
  
"Tell you what, Pam?" Cho spun around to ask. This was getting a bit embarrassing, she thought. She needed some time alone to think, but it doesn't look like her friends will leave her alone any moment.  
  
"Harry asked you to the Yule Ball, didn't he?"  
  
"No, I've told you it's not that. It's just that-- he just needed to talk to me about something, that's all," Cho replied, furious at herself. Why she can't make up some story now, she can't explain.  
  
Her friends weren't convinced.   
  
"Yeah, right," Jane said, "and your pretty little face just had to go scarlet. C'mon, you're not fooling anybody."  
  
"Girl, we've been together more than four years, we know you too well to know you're lying," said Crystal, as she grabbed Cho by the arm. "So, we are all going to our dormitory and you are telling us all about." Crystal winked as she, Pam and Jane marched Cho up the staircase and into the fifth year girls' dormitory.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
"You are something," Crystal somehow got herself to say as she and Jane recovered from a fit of giggles. Jane was seated on her bed next to Cho's. Pam was still curled up on Cho's bed, shrieking with delight in the news they just heard. Cho, sitting on the edge of her bed, had finally admitted Harry asked her out.   
  
"Both school champions asking you to the Yule Ball! Oh, why can't I be as lucky," sighed Pam. She had recovered from her giggling fit as well.   
  
"Or as pretty," Crystal said, and she tried to duck as Pam swung a pillow at her.   
  
"So, what are you going to do?" Jane asked Cho. A pillow fight had started on Cho's bed.  
  
"What do you mean, 'What am I going to do'?" she asked back, as she tried to avoid being hit by pillows.  
  
"Are you going with Harry now?". There was a glint of excitement in Jane's eyes.  
  
"No."  
  
"What?!"  
  
Pam and Crystal heard this. Both have stopped swinging the pillows and are now looking at Cho with disbelief.  
  
"I've told Cedric I'm going with him. I can't take my word back now," said Cho. There was a hint of regret in her voice. Realizing how Cho felt, Pam and Crystal dropped their pillows and sat on either side of Cho.   
  
"Tell him you've changed your mind," said Pam.   
  
"I can't just tell him I changed my mind. He asked me weeks ago," Cho said, not pleased with herself. "It's just not right."  
  
"So, you are going with a guy not because you wanted to go with him but because you think it's not right to refuse him," Jane said disapprovingly.  
  
"It's not like that," replied Cho. "I should have said no when he asked me, not when..."   
  
"Not when you knew Harry wanted to go with you," Jane finished her words for her.   
  
All three of her friends were now just looking at her, not knowing what to say. "I know, it's my fault," Cho sighed.   
  
Her friends knew how she had admired Harry Potter ever since their Quidditch match against Gryffindor last year. He was a very good seeker and had been very nice to her. She saw him at the Quidditch world cup and how pleasantly surprised she was when Harry said hi to her.   
  
Cho looked at Pam, expecting her to say, "I told you so." Pam had been trying to get her to ask Harry the moment they learned of the Yule Ball. Instead, she heard her say, "No, it's not your fault. Who knew he wanted to take you to the ball? And why did he have to wait this long to ask you?"  
  
"Well, he might have been afraid I'd turn him down," said Cho. This was why she never had the courage to ask him herself, she was afraid he'd turn her down. She was a year older than Harry, and there was this article in the Daily Prophet about him and Hermione Granger. Though both Harry and Hermione have been telling everyone they are just friends, she can't help but think there must be something more to their relationship than being just friends.   
  
"Well, you really liked Harry and he asked you to the ball," Jane said, "you should go with him."   
  
"But what about Cedric? I don't want to hurt his feelings," Cho said.   
  
Crystal placed her arm around her and said, "Cho, you always do what is right. Sometimes, you should do what you want to do."  
  
Pam added, "and you can tell Cedric I can go with him. He will need a partner to open the Yule Ball, won't he?"  
  
"What about Poliakoff?" Crystal asked, frowning.  
  
"I'll tell him I can't refuse a Hogwarts champion, " Pam replied, giggling, "unless the Durmstrang champion asked me." 


	2. Before the Ball

Summary: This is what the Goblet of Fire would have been from Cho Chang's point of view. There's not much said about Cho in the first four books. This story is what I think Cho would have been, her character and what she went through during her fifth year at Hogwarts.  
  
The story starts with HP Book 4 Chapter 22, up to the end of her fifth year.  
  
Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Cedric Diggory, Poliakoff, Professor McGonagall and Sleekeazy's Hair Potion (and all other HP terminologies) are obviously not mine but JK Rowling's intellectual property. As a matter of fact, all characters in this story are JK Rowling's, except for the following: Pam, Jane, Crystal and Patrick (plus the Wise Old Man.)  
  
================================  
Before the Yule Ball  
  
(This chapter is concurrent to parts of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 23 - The Yule Ball")  
  
"Cho, can I have some of this?" asked Pam, and then took the tube of hair potion from Cho's dresser even before she consented.  
  
"Sure, go ahead," said Cho without looking. She had pulled her hair into an elegant knot and was busy securing it with pins.  
  
"I cannot for the life of me imagine why you would have a tube of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion," said Pam, as she squeezed the creamy potion on to her palm and went about smoothing her hair out. "Your hair's sleek and shiny as it is."  
  
"She keeps one so people like you would have somebody to ask hair potion from," Jane retorted as she straightened her dress robes in front of a full-length mirror. Pam would have chased her around their dormitory room if she weren't too busy fixing her hair.  
  
"Cho?" Crystal called as she stepped back into their dormitory. She had been ready a couple of minutes ago and had gone down to the common room.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"You better hurry up. Patrick told me Cedric has been by the portrait of the Wise Old Man a full fifteen minutes," replied Crystal. Patrick was Crystal's date, a seventh year student also from Ravenclaw.  
  
"He's too early," said Jane, rolling her eyes up. "The Yule Ball isn't in thirty minutes."  
  
Ignoring Jane, Cho told Crystal, "Please tell him I'll be ready in five."  
  
"I still cannot believe you are going with him," Jane said as Crystal left the dormitory room.  
  
"Jane, please..." said Cho wearily.   
  
"Ok, I'll stop bugging you," said Jane. Then she smiled, "I hope you have a great time tonight."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Five minutes later, Cho was hurrying down the staircase, into the Ravenclaw common and out of the portrait hole. Cedric was waiting a few feet away.  
  
"Hi Cedric!" Cho called to him. Cedric walked quickly towards her and then stopped as if to say something. She waited as he looked at her. Something about the way he looked at her made her a little uncomfortable.  
  
"Cho, you look - er - stunning," Cedric finally managed to say.  
  
"Thanks," she replied. She felt her face turn red. She tried to think of a compliment for Cedric but words just failed her.  
  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you hurry up or anything, " Cedric said, "I, um, I'd rather wait for you than have you waiting for me."  
  
"And he was just a tad bit too excited to see you," somebody from behind Cedric said. She recognized him as a Hufflepuff student. She saw him a few times in the Great Hall but never knew his name.  
  
"Ced, you two better get going," the Hufflepuff student continued, "you're the school champion. You can't be late for the Ball."  
  
"One of the champions," Cedric corrected him. The Hufflepuff student just shrugged and walked away with his partner.   
  
Cho was certain she heard Cedric mutter something under his breath. "You were saying something?" she asked.  
  
"No, nothing. It's just that-" Whatever it was that Cedric wanted to say, it seemed like he didn't know where to begin. "Why can't they just leave him alone," he sighed.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Harry Potter," Cedric said as he glanced at her.  
  
Don't blush now, she told herself. Thankfully, Cedric had looked away. Did he see that name had so much effect on her?  
  
"He's a great guy, I'm telling you," he said thoughtfully as they walked towards the Great Hall. "Who knows how he managed to put his name in the Goblet, but that's beside the point. He's a very talented wizard. He deserves a chance to compete in the Tri-wizard tournament."   
  
Cedric had now stopped walking and was looking earnestly at her. "I can't really explain it but Harry's one decent guy. You need to know him a only short while to see the kind of person he is."  
  
Cho was surprised to hear this from him, of all people. She knew he was a nice guy but never knew how mature he was. She was starting to admire the guy standing in front of her.  
  
"Champions over here, please." It was Professor McGonagall. She didn't realize they were only a short distance from the Great Hall.  
  
"Shall we?" asked Cedric. He took her hand and they started their way towards the Great Hall. 


	3. The Yule Ball

Summary: This is what the Goblet of Fire would have been from Cho Chang's point of view. There's not much said about Cho in the first four books. This story is what I think Cho would have been, her character and what she went through during her fifth year at Hogwarts.  
  
The story starts with HP Book 4 Chapter 22, up to the end of her fifth year.  
  
Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Cedric Diggory, Poliakoff, Professor McGonagall, Viktor Krum, Padma Patil, the Weasley Twins, Canary Creams (and all other HP terminologies) are obviously not mine but JK Rowling's intellectual property. As a matter of fact, all characters in this story are JK Rowling's, except for the following: Pam, Jane, Crystal and Patrick (plus the Wise Old Man.)  
  
=========================  
The Yule Ball  
(Still, concurrent with GoF Chapter 23 - The Yule Ball)  
  
Cedric held Cho's hand as they squeeze their way past the Hogwarts students waiting for the Yule Ball to start. The champions and their partners were needed by Professor McGonagall.  
  
Cho felt a sudden rush of panic. How will Harry react when he sees her with Cedric? Did he manage to find himself a partner?  
  
Well, he knows I'm going with Cedric. And Harry's a school champion, he shouldn't have trouble finding a partner, she thought. Would he be upset with her? She looked around. Harry was nowhere in sight.  
  
"Cho?"  
  
That brought her back to earth. "I'm sorry, Cedric. You were saying something?" Cho asked, embarrassed that she hadn't been paying attention to her partner.  
  
"Nothing. I was just saying..."  
  
She didn't entirely hear what he was saying. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harry emerge from the crowd. He was with Padma, a fourth year student from her house.   
  
No, she thought, it's not Padma. It's her twin sister from Gryffindor.  
  
She looked away quickly and turned to Cedric. Cho, you're with Cedric, she told herself. He deserves a little more attention, even just for tonight.  
  
But Cedric wasn't looking at her, he looking at the girl next to Viktor Krum, a surprised look on his face.  
  
"Cho, isn't that Hermione Granger?"  
  
Cho turned around. It was definitely Hermione Granger, only that she looked very different. "Yes, it is Hermione," she said, pleasantly surprised. "She looks beautiful."  
  
Cedric was about to say something to her but Professor McGonagall beckoned them to follow her. They got in line in pairs and entered the Great Hall to everyone's applause.   
  
Another rush of panic overcame her. She wasn't prepared for this. Not that she wasn't used to crowds. She was Raveclaw's Seeker and played Quidditch in front of huge crowds. But walking into the Hall in pale pink robes with a Hogwarts champion and everyone's eyes on you was totally different from being on a broomstick catching the snitch.  
  
Cedric must have felt her grip on his arm tighten. "Nervous?" he asked.  
  
"A little bit." She was lying. What if she slips and makes a fool of herself in front of all these Hogwarts students? Rather, make that Hogwarts, Beaubaxtons and Durmstrang students.  
  
"Relax," Cedric said as he placed one hand on her hand that was now cutting off blood supply on his other arm. "We are just going to walk up the Hall, sit at the front, dance a little bit..."  
  
Dance. Now is the time to panic. She knew that Cedric was to open the Ball with the other champions, but now it occurred to her -- what if she trips?  
  
"Don't worry, if you trip I'll pick you up," he said, smiling. She smiled back. Somehow, she felt a little bit at ease. But did he just read her mind?  
  
She didn't remember how she and Cedric reached the top table. The usual opening speeches had also gone by in a blur. All she remembered was she and Cedric holding what looked like a menu, looking at each other as if asking what to do.  
  
Professor Dumbledore read something aloud and food appeared on the golden plate.   
  
"Hmmm, that was easy," Cedric said with a grin on his face. "What should we get?"  
  
Cho took a quick look at Professor Dumbledore's plate. "The pork chops look good."  
  
"Pork chops it is!"   
  
Going with Cedric wasn't so bad after all. Cho never knew they had so much in common. There wasn't anything under the sun they cannot talk about -- Transfiguration, butterbeer, Cockroach Clusters, dragons, Quidditch. Most of all, he was really funny.  
  
"Oh, last year? That was a shame," Cedric sighed, pretending to look dejected. "We were doing great but here comes Ravenclaw's little Seeker." He was talking about their Quidditch match the previous year, where Ravenclaw trounced upon Cedric's Hufflepuff team.  
  
"Oh, come on. You're not holding that against me, are you?"   
  
"You think not? Why do you think I want you to be my partner? I can't hex your food if you're not right next to me," he replied with a mischievous grin.  
  
At last, it was time to start the dance. Holding her hand, Cedric led her to the center of the Great Hall, which was now (magically) cleared of tables and chairs.  
  
"I was just kidding about hexing your food," Cedric told Cho as they danced.  
  
"I'll believe you if I don't turn into a canary before tonight is over." Both of them couldn't help but laugh. A couple of weeks back, Cho saw him burst into a flurry of yellow feathers. Apparently, a fellow Hufflepuff student offered him Canary Creams, an invention by Gryffindor's Weasley twins. He took a bite before realizing it was hexed.   
  
"That was embarrassing," Cedric grinned. "Thank heavens I have molted. You wouldn't want to go a ball with a feathery partner, would you?"  
  
Cho had to admit she was having a lot of fun. Cedric was really nice and dance very well. She saw her friends Pam, Jane and Crystal seated a feet away with their partners, waving at her. She waved back.  
  
The Weird Sisters are now playing something slow, a love song.   
  
"The buttons on my robes must be really interesting," Cedric said.  
  
Startled, Cho looked up, "I'm sorry?"  
  
"You've been staring at my robes for too long." He continued, "I'm starting to feel jealous. You barely looked at me."  
  
"Oh," she said, finally getting what he meant. "You have to understand, I'm so small I'd break my neck if I look up too much." Indeed, she was more than a head smaller than Cedric.  
  
"Ok, point taken." Then he asked, "Can I hold you closer then?"  
  
"Er -- yeah, sure."   
  
-------------------------------------  
  
"Girl, you have some explaining to do."  
  
"What do you mean..."  
  
"Something's going on, and we have to know."  
  
"Nothing is going on!"  
  
"You guys were awfully close when you danced"  
  
"Oh, come on..."  
  
Cedric had gone to get their drinks and Cho decided to walk over to her friends. The moment she reached their table, Pam, Jane and Crystal started badgering her with questions.   
  
"We are not geniuses, but we can sense if somebody's falling for somebody," Pam teased her.  
  
"Will you guys just stop it?" pleaded Cho. And they stopped, not because she asked them to, but because they spotted Cedric headed in their direction.  
  
-------------------------------------  
  
The Yule Ball was finally over and students are now coming out of the Great Hall to retire for the evening. At a distance, Cho saw three girls she recognized as her friends beckoning her to come over. She waved back at them, saying she couldn't and that they go ahead without her. Cedric had to stop for a bit. He said he needed a quick word with Harry.  
  
Harry. She just realized that she didn't think about him the entire Yule Ball, except for that instance right before they walked into the Great Hall. She looked up and saw him and Cedric talking. He saw her, and there was something about the way he looked at her. He looked a little... sad?   
  
No time to worry about how Harry felt, she thought as Cedric was on his way back down the staircase towards her. If he were really the great guy Cedric thought he was, he'd understand Cedric asked her to the Ball first. Come to think of it, if Harry had asked her first, she might not have had the chance to be with Cedric tonight... 


	4. Ask Him

Summary: This is parts of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire from Cho Chang's perspective.  
  
(The Usual) Disclaimer: All characters and HP terms here are the intellectual property of JK Rowling, except for the following: Pam, Jane, Crystal, Patrick and the portrait of The Wise Old Man.   
  
===========================  
Ask Him  
  
"Please," Cho begged her friends, Pam, Crystal and Jane as they were playing exploding snap in their common room. "Can you guys just stop this nonsense? I've told you over and over again, there's nothing going on between us."  
  
"Of course, there's nothing going on between you and Cedric," said Crystal, giving Cho a meaningful look. "You guys just want to hang out..."  
  
"Yeah, hold hands in the library..." Jane said it like it was something Cho does ever so often.  
  
"And share a kiss," added Pam.  
  
All three girls are now looking at Pam -- Cho, with horror and embarrassment, Crystal and Jane, surprise and curiosity.  
  
"Sorry, I wasn't snooping on you or anything," Pam said apologetically. "I was in the library and I saw you and Cedric by the History section. I thought I'd walk over and say hi. By the time I get close enough to you guys, he was already leaning over you..."  
  
Cho now had her face buried in her hands.  
  
"I'm really sorry. I don't think Cedric saw me, if that makes you feel any better..." Pam's voice trailed off.  
  
"Well, there's our answer," Crystal said triumphantly. "Cho, Cedric is your boyfriend!"  
  
"No, it's not like that," replied Cho.  
  
"What?!" exclaimed Jane, "you guys are just kissing buddies?"  
  
That did it. All of them, Cho included, burst out laughing.   
  
"No," said Cho, getting over fits of laughter. "It's just that we never talked about it. I think he likes me, and -- er -- well, I like him, too."   
  
"The understatement of the year," Jane muttered.  
  
Crystal's words of wisdom, "Cho, do the obvious. Ask him."  
  
  
-----------------------------------  
  
Easier said than done, Cho thought as she walked towards the Great Hall one morning.   
  
Just go up to Cedric and ask, she told herself. Now, when would be the right time?  
  
He must be in the Great Hall right now having breakfast, she thought. Should she just walk up to him and ask for a private word?   
  
No, too many Hufflepuff students gawking at them.  
  
Then, maybe this afternoon. He had agreed to meet her after classes to help her with a project in Transfiguration.  
  
Maybe not, her three best friends have also asked for his help and are coming with her this afternoon. While her friends would agree to let her meet him alone, their Transfiguration class was more important than her personal agenda.  
  
How would Cedric react, she wondered. She had to admit that his reaction had been the thing she's dreading the most. What if he says it's only friendship he wanted with her? The thought was just too painful.  
  
Then, why did he kiss her?  
  
Well, he could say it was a mistake; he was just caught in the moment.  
  
"Earth to Cho!" It was Cedric.  
  
"Oh, hi Cedric," Cho greeted him, slightly embarrassed.   
  
"You seem a little distracted," he replied. "I've been waving at you from the other end of the hallway. Anything bothering you?"  
  
"No," she lied. "I was just thinking about my Divination essay."  
  
"Do you have a minute?" he asked.  
  
She nodded and he took her hand to pull her aside, so they are a little distance from the students passing though the hallway.  
  
"Cho, what are we, exactly?"  
  
Cho froze right where she is.  
  
Cedric continued, "we're awfully close, we spend a lot of time together and you must know by now how I feel about you and I... I don't want to be telling people you're my girlfriend if you don't want to."  
  
"So," he asked again, "what are we?"  
  
"What do you want us to be?" she asked back.   
  
She looked up to him, smiling. Cedric was looking at her, as if in a trance. And then he smiled, a look of overwhelming happiness on his face.   
  
He leaned forward to kiss her, but she stepped back.  
  
"What... why, I thought..." he asked, puzzled.  
  
"Not so fast, honey. We ARE by the entrance hall," she replied, gesturing towards the students walking by. "I don't want to do something today and find it in the Daily Prophet tomorrow."  
  
"Oh, c'mon," he pleaded as he took her hand. "Nobody would be interested in my story, I'm not Harry Potter."  
  
As if on cue, Harry came out of the Great Hall with his friends. Amazingly, she wasn't feeling as self-conscious as before.  
  
"Hi, Harry!" Cedric greeted him.   
  
Harry nodded and headed on his way.  
  
"But let me get this straight. Are you my girlfriend now?"  
  
"Yes."   
  
  
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews, they were very encouraging. The next chapter (about a Hogsmeade visit) should be up soon.  
  
And Kaylee, I feel for Cho, too. I'm also a shrimp =) 


	5. At Hogsmeade

Summary: This is parts of Harry Potter Book 4 from Cho Chang's perspective.  
  
Disclaimer: Obviously, all HP characters and terms are property of JK Rowling. These are the only characters that are mine: Pam, Jane, Crystal, Patrick and the portrait of The Wise Old Man.   
  
===========================  
At Hogsmeade  
(Concurrent with Chapter 24 - Rita Skeeter's Scoop, as is the previous chapter.)  
  
It was the first Hogsmeade weekend after Christmas. As usual, Hogwarts students swarmed the village, shopping for sweets and what not. Cho and Cedric were checking out some candies at Honeydukes along with Pam, Jane, Crystal and Patrick.  
  
"Anybody in the mood for some butterbeer?" Cedric called out.   
  
"Thanks, but you guys go ahead," replied Patrick. "Crystal and I are going to the post office, need to send this to my sister," he continued as he held out a pack of twelve Chocolate Frogs.  
  
"How about you two?" Cho asked Pam and Jane.  
  
"Oh, thanks but we're going to Zonko's," Jane replied.  
  
Cho gave them a suspicious look. "And since when have you guys been into jokers' stuff?"  
  
"Aw, you know that's not why we're going there," replied Pam. "We just want a glimpse of Fred and George Weasley."  
  
After agreeing to meet back at Honeydukes in an hour, Cho and Cedric headed to the Three Broomsticks, a popular place for both youngsters and adults to hang out. As their butterbeer is a big favorite among Hogwarts students, they saw a lot of familiar faces when they stepped in to the pub.  
  
They also saw some goblins seated in a corner with Ludo Bagman. What were these goblins doing in Hogsmeade, with Ludo Bagman of all people? They gave each other a puzzled look.  
  
Cedric led Cho to the only empty table at the moment, one that was on the farthest corner of the pub. He then went to get some butterbeer and returned with two hot, foaming mugs.  
  
"Thanks," Cho said before taking a sip.   
  
Cedric seemed to be a little too quiet, she noticed. "Is something bothering you?" she asked.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just thinking about the second task," he replied. "I have to figure out a way to stay underwater for some time." He seemed a little worried.  
  
"Have you checked out the library?" she asked. "There must be some spell you can use."  
  
"I have been borrowing loads of books from the library, but I haven't found a single thing!" He didn't just seem worried now. He sounded desperate. "You know what, let's not talk about it. For a moment, I want to forget about the tournament."  
  
Cho understood. Competing in the Tri-wizard tournament has put so much pressure on Cedric.   
  
They ended up talking about Cho's upcoming O.W.L. exams. Cedric has a lot of test-taking tips for her. He had taken his O.W.L.s and got twelve.   
  
"Pam and Jane should have come with us," Cedric said, seeing the Weasley twins were also in the pub. "It's almost time, they must be back at Honeydukes. We should get going," he continued as he stood up.   
  
"Oh," Cho said suddenly. "I just remembered..."  
  
But she didn't have the chance to say what she remembered. Somebody stepped into the Three Broomsticks and caught Cedric's attention.  
  
"Rita Skeeter." He said with some indignation. "We better get out of here."  
  
Cho agreed and followed Cedric to the door. If Rita Skeeter was going to exaggerate somebody's words, it better not be theirs. She knew she has a knack for blowing things out of proportion and writing downright lies. She has been writing a lot of rubbish about the Ministry recently. Cedric's father worked for the Ministry and Rita Skeeter's articles in the Daily Prophet added more pressure on their increasingly tedious job. Then, there was this recent article she wrote about Hagrid, a teacher and gamekeeper at Hogwarts.  
  
"That story about Hagrid was really nasty," said Cho, shaking her head. They were now walking back to Honeydukes. "He doesn't deserve to be treated that way. He's really nice."  
  
"There are many vicious giants, but I agree with you. Hagrid isn't capable of hurting anyone," replied Cedric. "His 'pets' are a different story, though."  
  
Cho laughed. Hagrid is a good teacher, he knows his magical creatures very well. He just has this strange liking for the magical creatures he brings to class.   
  
"You know what," said Cho. "There's one problem with Skeeter's article. Flobberworms couldn't have bitten a student. They don't have teeth!"  
  
Cedric chuckled. He seems more at ease now, she thought. "Hey, you were about to tell me something back at the pub, were you?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, yes," she said excitedly. "In the second task, you might be able use the Bubble-Head charm."  
  
"Bubble-Head charm?"  
  
"That charm will wrap your head in a bubble," she replied, "if I remembered it right, you might be able to use it underwater. It lets air in so you can breath."  
  
Cedric was definitely thrilled by what he heard. "How do you perform that charm?" he asked eagerly.  
  
"Oh, that's the problem. I read about it a few months back. Borrowed the book from the library," she replied sheepishly.  
  
"I'll check out all the books you borrowed then!" he exclaimed. "Cho, you are heaven sent." He then leaned over and kissed her.  
  
  
  
======================================  
Author's Note: I don't know what I got myself into. Synchronizing this story with GoF is a real challenge. I had take down notes on GoF and re-order my Three Broomsticks episode, which is just about the whole chapter.   
  
I really appreciate your taking time to review my story. I hope to complete this soon.  
  
A/N part 2 (12/28/2002) - tweaked the line about the Weasley twins in the Three Broomsticks to fix the disorder my "re-ordering" had caused =) 


	6. The BubbleHead Charm

Summary: This is parts of HP Goblet of Fire from Cho Chang's perspective.   
  
Disclaimer:   
All Harry Potter characters, terminology, spells are JK Rowling's intellectual property.   
The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook is the property of its authors, Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht. (A show on the TBS network is based on these series of books)   
Buzz Light Year is a property of Walt Disney.  
The only characters I own here are Pam, Jane, Crystal, Patrick and the Wise Old Man.  
  
===========================  
The Bubble-Head Charm   
(This occurred from Chapter 25 - The Egg and The Eye through half of Chapter 26 - The Second Task.)  
  
"I still cannot believe you read all of these," Cedric said in amazement as he looked over the stack of books next to him. He and Cho were in the library, scouring through some of the books Cho borrowed since the start of the term.  
  
"I have to review for my O.W.L.s, you know," Cho explained as she put one book down and picked up the next one. In the last few days, they have been spending a lot of time in the library, looking up the Bubble-Head Charm. She remembered reading about it before and it might be the thing Cedric needed for the second task.  
  
Cedric tried to stifle a yawn. "It's not in this one," he said as he placed the book down. "Looks like we've checked all the books you took out until October," he continued as he pat the stack of about fifteen books.  
  
"I just started with this one," she said as she held up her book.   
  
He took a peek at the title, "'Worst-Case Scenario: A Guide for Witches and Wizards in a Bind'. That should help, I sure AM in a bind."  
  
"It's a survival handbook," she said, "Go get some more, we still have a half hour before dinner."   
  
"Wingardium Leviosa," Cedric whispered as he waved his wand. The stack of books was now floating in mid-air. They were not supposed to do magic in the library but he was too tired to carry the books back. Cho looked up and shook her head. She knew he could concentrate well enough to levitate the books back to the shelves but if Madam Pince, the school librarian, sees him at it, she'll be after his tail.  
  
He was half-way towards the shelves when he heard a squeal, "Cedric, I found it!"  
  
The sound of about fifteen huge, hardbound books crashing was definitely louder than Cho's squeal. Cedric hid his wand behind his back lest Madam Pince, who was marching towards them, find out he was levitating the books.  
  
"Who screamed?" Madam Pince was kind but you'd be crazy to get on the wrong side of her.  
  
"I did," replied Cho. Thank goodness there weren't a lot of students in the library, or she would have been more embarrassed. "I - er - I saw a mouse. I'm sorry..." She had to look down or Madam Pince might see she's lying.  
  
Madam Pince, thinking Cho was humiliated enough, turned towards Cedric.  
  
"I was startled when she screamed," he said. This wasn't a lie.  
  
"And you were trying to carry all of those at once?" asked Madam Pince, looking down at the pile of books in front of him. "Well, Mr. Diggory, you're a school champion but you are not Hercules. Return those books, but carry only what you can at a time"  
  
She then said in a low voice, "I'm letting both of you off, but next time, I'll take points off your houses."  
  
Both of them heaved a sigh of relief as Madam Pince walked away. They didn't lose points for their respective houses, and Cho has found the Bubble-Head Charm.  
  
Cedric hurriedly placed the books back on the shelves (without magic, and making two trips to the shelves) and returned to Cho.  
  
"The Bubble-Head charm can be used in cases when one needs protection against toxic substances in the air, or when one needs to breathe under water for an extended period of time," Cedric read, "It keeps water and other toxic elements out while letting in oxygen and other substance in the air that is not deemed harmful, thus the person is able to breathe. The Bubble-Head also takes the carbon-dioxide the person exhales out of the bubble so the air within is kept clean."  
  
Cedric was now very much excited. He looked at the picture on the page and said, "so this is what the Bubble-Head looks like."   
  
"It looks like Buzz Light Year, only the glass magnified the man's head," said Cho as she tries to keep herself from laughing too loudly. The face was stretched wide it looked out of proportion.  
  
"'Buzz' what?" he asked, perplexed.  
  
"Oh, it's a muggle thing," she replied. She had forgotten Cedric was a pure-blood.  
  
He read on, "Unlike other Charms for survival, the Bubble-Head charm is somewhat complex and takes some practice to perfect. All who anticipate being in a situation where this charm is useful are advised to practice performing it to better equip them when such situation arise."  
  
They looked on to the next page. They weren't kidding when they said the charm was complex.  
  
"Well," she finally said, "the second task isn't until the twenty-fourth. You still have some time to figure it out."  
  
---------------------------------  
  
"Cho, I did it!"  
  
Cho spun around to see an ecstatic Cedric sprinting down the hall towards her.  
  
"I finally got the Bubble-Head Charm to work!" he cried as he gave her a hug.   
  
"Great!" she exclaimed. She was just as excited as he was. Cedric had been working on the Bubble-Head Charm for more than a week now, she was so relieved he finally got it. At least he would be more at ease when the second task comes.   
  
Then she thought, what exactly are the champions supposed to do underwater?   
  
"Cedric, why do you have to be able to breathe underwater?" she asked. She realized he hasn't told her about it.  
  
"Oh, we're just supposed to get something back from some merpeople, that's all," he said nonchalantly. Seeing a worried look on her face, he continued, "Look, I don't want to tell you every detail because I don't want you to worry. Cheer up, will you?"   
  
She wasn't cheering up. "I'll be fine," he tried to assure her. "Don't worry."  
  
"Merpeople. Don't tell me you have to go in the lake?" she asked, looking more anxious now.  
  
"Well, we can't put too many merpeople in a bath tub... so, yes we have to use the lake for this task," he replied, as if diving into the lake was a daily chore for him.  
  
"But there must be other things out in the lake, you know, grindylows and stuff," she said. It seemed like nothing would cheer her up.  
  
"Stop worrying, will you?" he pleaded, getting tired of trying to convince her. "If you don't stop, I'll have to do a Cheering Charm on you."  
  
---------------------------------  
  
"Cho, I did it!" Lisa Turpin screamed as she finally managed to banish a pillow towards the other end of the Ravenclaw common room.  
  
"That was great! Your Banishing Charm is right on the mark!" Cho was extremely delighted. Lisa was having a lot of trouble in her charms class that Professor Flitwick personally sought her help.   
  
"Hey, Cho!" Jane called as she stepped into the portrait hole and into the common room. "Professor Flitwick wants a word with you."  
  
  
===========================  
Disclaimer (Again, lest people sue me. But heck, if anyone complains, I'll re-write this chapter!):   
All Harry Potter characters, terminology, spells are JK Rowling's intellectual property.   
The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook is the property of its authors, Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht. (A show on the TBS network is based on the book)   
Buzz Light Year is a property of Walt Disney.  
The only characters I own here are Pam, Jane, Crystal, Patrick and the Wise Old Man. 


	7. The One Thing He'll Miss

Summary: This is parts of HP Goblet of Fire from Cho Chang's perspective.   
  
Disclaimer: Anything Harry Potter here is the intellectual property of JK Rowling. The only characters I own here are Pam, Jane, Crystal, Patrick and the Wise Old Man.  
  
===========================  
The One Thing He'll Miss  
(Still, Chapter 26 - The Second Task)  
  
"Come in, Miss Chang." Professor Flitwick motioned Cho to his office. "How are you doing today?"  
  
"I'm fine, Professor," she replied. "I've been working with Lisa and she's doing very well."  
  
"Yes, I've been seeing a lot of improvement with her Charms work. Thank you so much. You have been a great help, as always," Professor Flitwick said, beaming at her. "But that isn't why I called you in. Our school needs your help in the Tri-Wizard tournament."  
  
Help in the Tri-Wizard tournament? She asked herself, confused.  
  
Professor Flitwick continued, "You see, in the second task tomorrow, each champion will take back from the merpeople the one thing that's very important to him, the one thing he will miss."  
  
"Miss Chang, it's no secret here at Hogwarts that the one thing Cedric Diggory will miss the most is you."  
  
Cho felt the color rising to her face.   
  
"But you are under no obligation to take part in this, I assure you of that."  
  
"What do I have to do?" asked Cho.  
  
"Oh, not much." The head of the Ravenclaw house explained, "Professor Dumbledore will perform a spell that will put you to sleep. You will then be taken to the merpeople at the bottom of the lake, along with the other champions' - er - 'hostages'. No harm will come to you. You will wake up the moment are back above the water."  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
"Girl, where have you been?" asked Crystal as Cho entered the fifth year girls' dormitory. Her three friends are now clad in pyjamas getting ready to go bed.  
  
"I just went to see Professor Flitwick," replied Cho. "By the way, I won't be sleeping here tonight," she continued as she changed into warmer clothes.  
  
"Oh boy, you're up to something, are you?" teased Pam, her eyes twinkling. Jane was now giving Cho a meaningful look.  
  
"Look, it's not what you think it is," said Cho. "I can't tell you everything right now. I just came here to change and to tell you not to go looking for me tonight." Indeed, she had instructions from Professor Flitwick not to tell anyone.   
  
Soon enough, she was headed towards Professor McGonagall's office as Professor Flitwick has told her. She stepped into the Deputy Headmistress' office and found a little girl with blonde hair (who bears a striking resemblance to Fleur Delacour) and two familiar faces, Hermione Granger and the redheaded boy who she assumes is Harry Potter's best friend.  
  
Before she had the chance to introduce herself, Professor Dumbledore had walked into the office.  
  
"Ah, there you are. I think we have everybody in," said Professor Dumbledore. "I believe everything has been explained to all of you." All four students nodded. "I will perform a spell that will put you into deep sleep. I assure you that you will all be safe."  
  
As soon as Professor Dumbledore performed the spell, Cho started to feel relaxed, an overwhelming feeling of ease has overtaken her. Soon, she has fallen asleep.  
  
----------------------------------------------  
  
She was in a graveyard. It was dark, except for a little ray of light coming from a distance. She walked towards the light and saw a man, short and bald, holding a bundle like a baby, wrapped in shabby pieces of cloth. The man held his wand up and bellowed what sounded like an incantation. A flash green light came, so bright it was almost blinding. When all the green light had gone, she saw sprawled on the ground was Cedric.  
  
"Cedric, Cedric!" she cried.  
  
"Cho, wake up! Are you alright?" It was Cedric, holding her as he tried to stay afloat. He still has the Bubble around his head.  
  
Cho then realized where she was. They were in the middle of the lake and Cedric was pulling her back to shore. She was crying, she can feel the tears from her eyes. Cedric may not have noticed as her face was all wet. He had just pulled her to the surface of the lake.  
  
Before long, they were back at the shore, with Madam Pomfrey giving them Pepperup Potion and wrapping them in thick blankets  
  
"Cho, are you alright? Did they hurt you?" Cedric asked anxiously.  
  
"No, I'm not hurt. The merpeople didn't do anything to us," she replied.  
  
"When we got above the water, I thought you were -- crying," he said. He seemed extremely concerned.  
  
"No." She lied. She knew she was crying when she woke up. Now she was trying to remember what happened. A dream. She dreamt about Cedric. What it was about, she tried to remember -- a blinding flash of light, and Cedric lying on the ground. What does this mean? 


	8. Dreams and Strange Incidents

Disclaimer: At the risk of sounding like a broken record... All things Harry Potter are the intellectual property of JK Rowling. The only characters I own here are Pam, Jane, Crystal, Patrick and the Wise Old Man.  
  
Author's Note: My fellow rabid HP fans may think it sacreligious, but yes, I gave Cho a bit of clairvoyant power. Anyway, the HP books show even Harry and Ron have some psychic ability (Professor Trelawney notwithstanding). In PoA, Harry saw Buckbeak flying away in the crystal ball on his final exam, and Ron saw an acorn in Harry's teacup on their first Divination class. It means "a windfall, unexpected gold" and lo' and behold! Harry won a thousand galleons in the Tri-Wizard Tournament!   
  
===========================  
Dreams and Strange Incidents  
  
"You guys go ahead," told Cho her friends, Pam, Jane and Crystal, as they cleaned up the mess in the dungeon after their Potions class. "I've lost us enough points today. No sense giving Professor McGonagall reason to take more."   
  
"McGonagall wouldn't do that. She's not as harsh as Snape," said Jane, picking up twisted blobs of metal that were the victims of Cho's Melting Potion that spilled from her melted cauldron.  
  
"Snape is just too much!" Pam cried in disgust as she wiped the table clean. "Granted, he had to take points from us, but why did he have to give you detention?"  
  
"Cho, is something's bothering you? " Crystal asked as she helps her mop the floor. "This sort of thing never happens to you." Indeed, Cho was smart and meticulous enough she never had trouble in Potions or in any class. But recently, she wasn't her usual self. She left her Melting Potion in the fire too long it melted her cauldron, and any metal it touched as it spilled to the floor. Thankfully, her friends were close by. Crystal immediately performed the Impediment Charm to slow down the potion and Jane quickly sprayed the mess with the Anti-Melting Potion Snape gave them, thus averting a bigger disaster.  
  
"Look, the place is almost tidied up," said Cho, ignoring Crystal's comments. "Go ahead to Transfiguration. McGonagall probably wouldn't mind one student late, but four, that's a different story."  
  
True enough, they have gotten rid of most of the mess and agreed to leave Cho to finish cleaning up. "We'll let McGonagall know where you are," Pam called as she, Jane and Crystal headed out the door.   
  
Not wanting Snape to give them more punishment for the incident, Cho checked the area for any spilled potion they missed and collected the blobs of metal and soaked rags to be discarded.   
  
When everything seemed to be in order she grabbed her bag and hurried towards the door. She was very much late for Transfiguration now. As she reached for the door, somebody came barging in, knocking her to the floor.  
  
It was Professor Karkaroff.   
  
"Where is he? Where IS Severus?" Karkaroff bellowed. The Durmstrang Headmaster was fuming.  
  
"He's not here," she replied, very much annoyed as she pulled herself up. The nerve, she thought, yelling at her after he stormed into the dungeon, collided with her and not bothered to help her up or apologize.   
  
"You can't avoid me for forever, Severus! You know you can't!" Karkaroff roared as he stormed out of the dungeon.  
  
Cho was very much bewildered. What was that about?   
  
---------------------------------  
  
Days later, Cho was in the trophy room, dusting and polishing plaques and trophies.   
  
"Why does this have to be the day I serve detention," Cho sighed, absent-mindedly rubbing a piece of cloth against some Special Services plaque. Professor Binns was to give an exam the next day and even after spending hours reviewing, nothing seems to get through to her head.   
  
Better put all this time spent in detention to use, she decided. She started recalling their recent History of Magic lessons. "Grogan Stump, Chief of the Wizard's Council, fourteenth century. Elfrida Muldoon, succeeded Stump," she recited to herself while polishing a trophy.   
  
"No, Muldoon is the Chief of the Wizard's Council, and Elfrida's not the first name. And Grogan Stump, oh, who is Grogan Stump?" She was getting the names of the early leaders of the wizarding world all mixed up. If only she had not misplaced the outline of the lesson she prepared the day before. She knew it was with her when she went to breakfast at the Great Hall.  
  
Then she remembered. She was flipping through Cedric's Transfiguration book this morning. She must have slipped it in his book.  
  
She wasn't this forgetful and inattentive before, and people around her have started to notice. Something was bothering her, they all said. Cedric had tried a few times to get her to talk, but she insisted she was fine.  
  
Nobody knew but it was that dream about Cedric that had been bothering her for some time now. She can no longer recall most of the details but the horror she felt then somehow remained. All she remembers now was seeing him sprawled on the ground. Cedric never knew about this.   
  
That same day of the second task, she decided not to bother him about it. It was just some stupid dream. She had a spell cast upon her and spent some time sleeping at the bottom of the lake. Who knows what tricks such exercise can play on the mind.  
  
Finally, she got the trophies clean and shining. It was almost midnight. If she gets back to their dormitory quickly enough, she might still find Crystal up and borrow her notes. She decides that if she runs really fast and takes the short cut through the hall towards the teacher's offices, she'll make it to the Ravenclaw common room in three minutes flat.  
  
Pulling out her wand, she performs a simple Silencing Charm on her shoes so they don't make noise. It was a trick she and her friends learned in third year that had kept them out of trouble in many occasions. She then sprinted out of the trophy room and into the hall.  
  
She almost forgot how good it feels to run, she thought as she rounded a corner. As a kid, she was a member of her grade school track team. But this was before she learned she was a witch. She then went to Hogwarts, fell in love with Quidditch, and is now very much attached to her broomstick. There really isn't much use for fast runners in the wizarding world, not when you have a broomstick, or can Apparate.  
  
She rounded another corner, then stopped dead on her tracks. From a distance she saw somebody coming out of Snape's office. "Oh no," she groaned, "not another detention."  
  
But it wasn't Snape. There was no mistaking the figure that stepped out of the office was Professor Moody.  
  
His back towards her, Mad-Eye Moody took a couple of steps forward, then stopped to turn around and face her.   
  
Nothing escapes that magical eye, she thought as Moody growled at her. "What are you doing here, in the middle of the night?" He was now ambling his way towards her.  
  
Out of breathe and scared out of her wits, she trembled as she walked towards him and replied, "I had detention at the trophy room, Professor. I thought I'd take a short cut back through here." She knew Moody had turned some cocky fourth year into a ferret she wondered what he'll turn her into now.  
  
"Alright, move on," he barked and gestured her to move along. He then turned and walked back on his way to his office.  
  
Very much relieved, Cho started walking back to the Ravenclaw common room. Thank heavens it was Professor Moody she ran into, she thought. Imagine if it was Filch, or his cat Mrs. Norris. Or Snape.  
  
She took a quick glance back at Professor Moody who was wobbling his way to his office on the other end of the hall. Then it hit her, what was Moody doing in Snape's office this late at night?   
  
---------------------------------  
  
She was standing behind a tombstone, in a graveyard that was eerily familiar. She saw the same man. In his arms was a bundle, wrapped in like an infant. He put the bundle down. It stirred. The man raised his wand, but before he could utter a word, she turned to look at the bundle.  
  
"Cho! Cho! Wake up!" Cho's screams had filled Ravenclaw's fifth year girls' dormitory and Pam, Jane and Crystal had jumped out of their beds to wake her up.   
  
"What happened?" Pam asked, very much concerned as Jane helped Cho sit up. Crystal was now handing her a glass of water.  
  
Tears still streaming from her eyes, she took the glass of water from Crystal. As she drank, she tried to remember what her nightmare was about.  
  
"It was horrible," she finally said. It was the most terrifying thing she had seen. Wrapped in ragged pieces of cloth was a most hideous being, so much so that her heart was still racing.  
  
As her friends tried to calm her, she remembered something uncannily familiar about this.  
  
That same dream she had months back. The details have faded from her memory but the horror she felt, it was as much as she was feeling right now.  
  
"Stop crying now, will you?" said Jane, trying to cheer her up. "You were studying for our Potions finals too much you dreamt about Snape."  
  
Final exams were today, after which was the Third Task in the Tri-wizard Tournament.  
  
"Please don't tell Cedric about this," she told her friends, "the third task is today and I don't want him worrying about me." 


	9. The Final Task

Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling (obviously). The only characters I own here are whoever was mentioned in the past chapters plus Mark, the prefect.  
  
===================  
The Final Task  
  
Cho was feeling weak and sleepy the morning of the final day of exams. She hardly slept that night after being wakened up by that horrible nightmare.  
  
Keep that stupid nightmare out of your mind, she told herself as she sat in the Great Hall with Pam, Jane and Crystal. They were to have their Potions exam right after breakfast, and they all expect it to be a nasty one.  
  
The Great Hall was buzzing with excitement. The third task was tonight, after the exams.   
  
"Oh, can't these guys keep it down," Crystal groaned as the Slytherins were becoming too loud. All four were reviewing for the exams while having breakfast.  
  
"You barely touched your food," came the voice from behind Cho. It was Cedric. He was looking over her shoulder, down at the bowl of cereal in front of her that was still full.  
  
"Oh, hi Cedric," Cho replied as she looked behind her.  
  
Pam, Jane and Crystal all looked up from their Potions book and greeted Cedric. Jane moved to make room for him.  
  
"Good morning!" he greeted the girls as he sat next to Cho. Turning to Cho, he said, "you're hardly eating anything. You have exams today."  
  
"And you don't," Cho retorted. After a night of studying, nightmares and very little sleep, coupled with the prospect of facing her Potions finals in less than an hour, she wasn't in a good mood. Cedric didn't seem to mind, he had gotten used to her occasional grumpiness.   
  
"I wish I didn't have to take the finals," Pam sighed as she put her book down. Cedric was exempted from the end-of-term exams as he was competing in the Triwizard Tournament.  
  
"Between exams and a Swedish Short-Snout, I'd take the exam any day," Jane replied. She was referring to the first task in the Triwizard Tournament, where Cedric had to face a dragon.   
  
Cho managed to eat some breakfast (after Cedric threatened to force-feed her.) Soon, the girls left the Great Hall and headed towards the dungeon.  
  
---------------------------------------------  
  
Their Potions exam was harder than they expected, it left the girls drained of their energy. With still half an hour before lunch, Cho decided to head back to the their dormitory to get some rest. She laid down on her bed without intending to sleep, but she soon dozed off.  
  
"Hey, wake up, Sleeping Beauty," Crystal said as she shook her bed. Cho had slept through lunch.  
  
"Oh, what time is it?" Cho asked, rubbing her eyes as she got up.  
  
"Time for lunch," replied Pam. "You looked really tired we decided not to wake you up, but we brought you something back," she continued, placing a plate full of food on Cho's desk.  
  
"Go ahead and eat. We have more than half an hour before Charms," Crystal said, as she sat on her bed to read her notes.  
  
Thanking her friends, Cho sat down and began to eat.  
  
"By the way, Cedric was looking for you," Jane said. "He wants you to meet your in-laws," she continued, grinning.  
  
"My what?"  
  
"Your in-laws," Jane replied. "Cedric's parents are here today to watch the third task."  
  
---------------------------------------------  
  
Finally, the end-of-term exams were over. After an exhausting day, Pam, Jane, Crystal and Cho returned to their dormitory to get some rest before the evening feast.  
  
With only a few minutes to spare, they left their dormitory and headed for the evening feast. They hurriedly walked into the Great Hall and towards the Ravenclaw table. As they took their seats, Cho saw Cedric walking towards them.  
  
Cedric greeted them as sat next to Cho and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Cho, I've been looking all over for you."  
  
"Sorry about this afternoon," she replied. "Exams were just too much I slept through lunch. But at least it's all over now."  
  
"Not for me," Cedric sighed. "There's still the third task." He was a bit nervous, she could tell as he held her hand more tightly than usual.  
  
"You'll do just fine," she assured him. "You've been preparing for this for weeks." Cedric had certainly been preparing for this task, looking up and practicing charms. She herself had been taking out books from the library looking for anything that could help him.  
  
"Ced, you were planning to introduce us, weren't you?"   
  
Standing behind Cedric were Mr. and Mrs. Amos Diggory. Cho recognized them from the family pictures he had shown her.  
  
Cedric made the introductions with Cho very much self-conscious. She knew his parents were nice and wanted very much to meet her, but it didn't keep her from feeling a bit awkward.  
  
"Cho, it's good to meet you at last," Cedric's mother said as she gave Cho a hug. "Ced talks incessantly about you."  
  
Cedric's father invited her to dine with them at the Hufflepuff table but Cho declined, as there wasn't enough room. Soon, Professor Dumbledore and the rest of the teachers stepped into the Great Hall. The evening feast was about to begin. Cedric and his parents then walked back to the Hufflepuff table.   
  
Pam, Jane and Crystal now let go of the snickers they had been stifling the entire time, and spent the rest of the evening feast kidding her about meeting her "in-laws".  
  
"If Cedric's mom and dad were the In-laws," Jane asked Cho, "should we call you the Outlaw?"  
  
Before the feast was over, Cedric was back at the Ravenclaw table.  
  
"Cho, can I have a word with you," he said as he leaned towards her, "in private?"  
  
Cedric led her to the entrance hall, which was now deserted as everyone was in the Great Hall.  
  
"Good luck tonight," she told him as he held her hand.  
  
"Thanks... Er - Cho, I want to tell you something," he said. He looked at her longingly, and then hesitated for a moment before he said, "I love you."  
  
"I always have and I always will, but for some reason I can't bring myself to say the words until now," he continued. He pulled her close and kissed her more passionately than before.  
  
For some reason, Cedric didn't have to tell her this. Somehow, she already knew he loved her.  
  
"I know I have to tell you tonight, or I might never have the chance," he said, still holding her close.  
  
A group of girls from Hufflepuff came out of the Great Hall and caught them in a rather awkward moment. The girls started giggling as they made their way towards the washroom.   
  
"We better get back," he said and they walked back into the Hall.  
  
Time finally came for the third task. Everyone headed for the Quidditch field, which was now filled with hedges made to look like a maze.  
  
"So, we're going to sit here and watch a maze?" Pam asked, a mixture of disappointment and sarcasm in here voice. The hedges were too high and many paths too narrow. Even if they were seated high enough, it would be difficult to see anything going on inside the maze.  
  
"From the look of it, yes," Jane replied, looking out into the field. "Let's just hope this doesn't go as boring as the second task."  
  
"Cho wouldn't know that," Crystal said teasingly.  
  
Cho laughed. During the second task, her friends and the rest of the students waited by the lake for over an hour for the Tri-Wizard champions to retrieve their hostage, with nothing to amuse them except the commentator, Ludo Bagman. Cho was one of those rescued from the lake, she spent the whole time sleeping at the bottom of the lake she didn't have to endure the boredom here friends went through.   
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard tournament is about to begin!" It was the voice of Ludo Bagman. The third task was about to begin.  
  
As Bagman went on introducing the champions, Cho watched Cedric standing just outside the maze, looking up at the stands and searching the crowd.   
  
"Hey Cedric!" "Over here!" It was Pam and Jane, screaming at the top of their lungs and waving furiously at Cedric.   
  
"Keep quiet, will you?" Cho hissed, slightly embarrassed. Students were now looking up to see what the noise was about.   
  
Cedric turned around and waved at them. Cho waved back.  
  
"Cedric was looking for you," Pam pointed out.   
  
Jane added, "And you're so vertically challenged, no way he'll find you in this crowd."   
  
In no time, the third task was underway. Harry and Cedric hurried into the maze at the first sound of the whistle. Moments later they were followed by Viktor Krum, and then Fleur Delacour.  
  
The first few minutes of the competition were uneventful, at least from the audience's point of view.   
  
"Pam, you are psychic," Jane commented, looking at the maze. "Oh, what could be more wonderful than observing hedges on a Quidditch field," she sighed with a look of pretended nostalgia.  
  
Pam responded, "What's the use of my being psychic if I can't see what's going on in there?"   
  
"You guys are right, this is rather boring," said Cho.   
  
"Hey, somebody shot red sparks!" Crystal exclaimed, pointing towards a corner of the maze. Flickers of red light were hovering above it. Champions were to shoot red sparks if they got into trouble and needed rescuing.   
  
"Let's hope it's not Cedric," Pam said as the four of them craned their necks to see what's going on.  
  
"No, it's the Beaubaxton veela," Jane replied. Professor McGonagall had just stepped out of the maze with her wand up, levitating a stretcher holding somebody who undoubtedly was Fleur Delacour.   
  
"I do hope she's fine," Cho said, feeling sorry for Fleur. Then she added, "I wonder how Cedric is doing."  
  
"He's gonna be ok," replied Crystal. "After the dragon, this should be piece of cake."  
  
Time went by again without much going on, except for the second instance red sparks were shot in the air. They saw the teachers bring somebody out of the maze. It was Viktor Krum. Which means, the Triwizard champion can either be Cedric or Harry Potter.  
  
At least the champion would come from Hogwarts, they all agreed, although they all hoped it would be Cedric.  
  
About an hour has now passed since Harry and Cedric had entered the maze. To while away the time, they started talking about their exams.   
  
"What was the last ingredient for Memory Potions?" Jane asked Crystal.  
  
"Jobberknoll feathers," she replied.  
  
"I missed that one," said Jane, disappointed.   
  
"I missed that, too. I keep forgetting those Jobberknoll feathers, I need a Memory Potion," quipped Pam. "Did you get that right, Cho?" she asked, turning to Cho.   
  
Cho couldn't remember what her answer was. "Let me think," she said.   
  
Then it happened so quickly. By instinct, she closed her eyes and the moment she did, she saw a flash of blinding green light. She gasped when all the green light had vanished. Lying on the ground was Cedric, seemingly lifeless.  
  
"Cho, are you alright?"  
  
She must have gasped so loudly that when she opened her eyes, she saw her friends looking at her with surprise and concern.   
  
Tears started streaming down her face. It looked so real, and she knew she had seen it before.  
  
That dream she had on the second task. She was quite sure, that was what she saw then. And that blinding green light, where did all that come from?  
  
Then she remembered. The Killing Curse. Professor Moody had demonstrated it in their Defense Against the Dark Arts class using a spider. Green light had shot out of his wand, killing the spider instantly.  
  
"What's the matter, Cho?" Jane asked.  
  
Seeing tears running down her face, Crystal, Pam and Jane led her out of the stands.  
  
They found a spot right outside the Quidditch field where they can talk with some privacy. Trembling, Cho told them what she had seen, and the dream she had long ago that looked eerily similar.   
  
Her friends tried to console her. "Teachers are patrolling the maze. Nothing could happen to him," they all said.  
  
It took a while before she calmed down. But by the time they were ready to go back, students were already coming out of the Quidditch field.  
  
"What happened? Is the third task over?" Pam asked Mark, Ravenclaw's prefect, who was herding students back to the castle.   
  
"I don't really know what happened," he replied. "There was some commotion and then Professor McGonagall told us to get all the students back to their common rooms."  
  
Pam, Jane, Crystal and Cho returned to their dormitory, unsure of what happened. None of the people they asked could give them an answer, and nobody saw Cedric, or even Harry. They decided it would be better for Cho not to be in the common room and stay away from the other students at the moment, speculations they were hearing from fellow Ravenclaw students are getting more dreadful every minute.  
  
All four of them sat quietly on Cho's bed, Cho in deep thought and the rest not knowing what to say.  
  
"Please Lord, let no harm come to him," Cho prayed silently.   
  
Then, there was a knock on the door. It was Lisa.  
  
"Professor Flitwick is down at the common room," she said. "He wants a word with all of you."  
  
Students in the common room were watching Cho intently as all four of them walked down the stairs. Professor Flitwick then told them to follow him to his office.  
  
When they reached the door to his office, Professor Flitwick said, "I'd like to speak to Miss Chang first. If you would kindly wait here outside for a minute or two."  
  
Professor Flitwick motioned Cho to sit. And then he said in a voice full of sadness, "Miss Chang, I have news of the most grievous kind. Something untoward has happened during the third task tonight."  
  
"Cedric has died."  
  
  
  
--------------------------  
Author's Note: As you may all know, our story is almost over. I'll be starting the final chapter next weekend. Unfortunately, there's no guarantee I can post it that same weekend =( Please check back in a couple of weeks.  
  
I'd like to thank everyone who read and reviewed my story. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I really appreciate your taking time to do so. After I finish this story, I probably won't be posting anything for some time, as my schedule wouldn't allow me. But do expect me to be back! =)  
  
(It's 2:30 in the morning, and I feel soooo woozy... zzzzzzzzzzzz) 


	10. The Day After

Author's Note: Sorry it took me longer than a couple of weeks to post a new chapter (kelpie, I hope you're still alive!!!), things just got too crazy the last few weeks =( I mentioned in the previous chapter that this would be the finale... well I was wrong =( Considering the mood, and the length of this one (relative to the other chapters), I feel it necessary to have another chapter after this. I'm still writing that... no promises this time, I might end up breaking it again but I 'll do my best =)  
  
THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS! Several of you have put in more than one, I really appreciate it.   
  
Book 5 is finally coming out! Yipeee!!!  
  
Disclaimer: If you haven't figured out by now that I'm not JK Rowling, you gotta get your head examined =)   
  
On to our story...  
======================================================================  
  
The Day After   
  
"I do not know yet what exactly happened. I am deeply sorry, Cho."  
  
It was grief like Cho had never felt. Tears were freely flowing from her eyes. Something happened in the Triwizard tournament and Cedric was gone. She'll never ever be able to feel his hand hold hers, never have the chance to look into his eyes or hear him say her name.  
  
Professor Flitwick stepped out and was back moments later with her friends, Pam, Jane and Crystal. He must have told them what happened, as they had tears in their eyes.   
  
Everything seemed surreal. Cho doesn't even remember how she got back to their dormitory. All she remembered was being comforted by her friends in Professor Flitwick's office.   
  
Cho could not sleep that night. Those nightmares, that horrible thing in the graveyard, and Cedric lifeless on the ground, were they signs, signs that she ignored?  
  
She then remembered her last conversation with him. He told her how much he loved her. He also said he might never had the chance to tell her how he felt about her.   
  
He was saying goodbye.  
  
Then she realized she didn't even get to tell him how much she loved him.  
  
--------------------------------------------   
  
"Is she alright?"  
  
"How is she doing?"  
  
Cho overheard fellow Ravenclaw students said in hushed voices that morning in the common room as she walked by. There was just so much on her mind she can't even be bothered by it. How she felt guilty ignoring the omens she had seen. How she didn't even tell him how she feels about him. She had spent all night crying.  
  
"Keep quiet, Mark," she heard Pam say in a low voice. "It's bad enough she had to go through this, but with you guys acting weird around her..."  
  
"I'm sorry, I just wanted to know how Cho is. Professor Sprout wanted her in her office, you think she's up to it?"  
  
Mark then noticed Cho had heard him say her name. "Oh, hi Cho," he replied hesitantly. "Er -- Professor Sprout was looking for you."  
  
"Cedric's mom and dad are in her office waiting for you."  
  
"We'll walk you there," Crystal offered.  
  
"Thanks, but don't worry about me." She then turned and climbed out of the portrait hole.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Cho fought hard to keep her tears from welling up her eyes as she headed towards Professor Sprout's office. This was only the second time she would be meeting Cedric's parents, and the first time after his death.  
  
She saw Harry stepping out of Professor Sprout's office.  
  
Harry was with Cedric when he died, she heard. She wondered how he was doing now. He must be going through a lot, witnessing how a friend of his died. Cho watched Harry as he walked away towards the stairwell leading to the Gryffindor common room before going to Professor Sprout's office.  
  
Ony Cedric's parents were in the office; their Herbology professor wasn't there. His mother cried as she hugged Cho. His father was standing close by, looking very weary. Cho now let go of the tears she was trying to hold back.  
  
It was some time before anybody said a word.  
  
"Cho," Mrs. Diggory said in between sobs, "we just want to thank you for making Cedric's last days wonderful. He was never happier."  
  
If there was anything harder than her losing Cedric, it was seeing how his parents struggled with losing their son. Both his parents looked like they have been crying for days.  
  
"It is hard to accept what happened to our son, but we'll live through this."  
  
Nobody had told her exactly what had happened to Cedric. She had the urge to ask Cedric's parents what really happened but decided against it. It would be insensitive to ask such questions as this time. She bade them good-bye and said she would be at his funeral, the day after they leave Hogwarts.  
  
She left Professor Sprout's office realizing she had so many questions unanswered. How did it all happen? How did Cedric die? Why did he have to die?  
  
She saw Professor Dumbledore at the other end of the hall on his way to his office. She hurried towards him.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore!" she called out. "I would like to speak with you - er - that is, if you have some time to spare."  
  
Cho was surprised with herself, how had she plucked up the courage to speak to the Headmaster. She knew he was kind but had never talked to him.  
  
Professor Dumbledore didn't seem surprised. "I was thinking when it would be a good time to speak with you, Cho."  
  
She was more surprised that Dumbledore knew her name.  
  
"I guess today is as good as any. Follow me to my office."  
  
She had seen the other professors' offices but none were like Professor Dumbledore's. I was a circular room but aside from books on the shelves, there were quite a number of interesting silver gadgets on one side. On the other was a beautiful bird with red and gold plumage. This must be his pet phoenix.   
  
"I want to know what really happened to Cedric." Cho said when they were finally seated.   
  
"Cedric was killed by Voldemort."  
  
Cho was taken aback. He-who-must-not-be-named had something to do with Cedric's death? She had heard the rumors floating around in school but would not believe any of them. It just seemed so unlikely. Didn't he die thirteen years ago?  
  
"This may come as a surprise to you. Nobody thought Voldemort would be capable of coming back after all these years."  
  
"But why would - er - why would he kill Cedric?" Cho had almost mentioned the name. Being muggle-born, she knew nothing of the horrors caused by the Dark Lord years ago but her five years in Hogwarts had taught her not to say the name. People around her shudder at the mere mention of it. Professor Dumbledore must be the only wizard she had heard say his name without fear.  
  
"He just happened to be in his way."   
  
Professor Dumbledore then told her of the plot to take Harry to help Voldemort rise again, how a Death Eater had somehow turned the triwizard cup into a port key and had meant to take only Harry to the Dark Lord. Cedric happened to touch the cup the same moment Harry did. Voldermort had no use for him and had him killed. He had planned to kill Harry too but he managed to escape.  
  
This Death Eater who had been helping Voldemort had did it in the guise of helping Harry win the tournament, so he would be the first to touch the cup and be transported to Voldemort.   
  
"Cedric just happen to reach the cup the same time Harry did. Maybe if he hadn't tied with Harry for first place, he might not have made it to the cup, if I had not helped him..." Cho's voice trailed off, too distraught to even cry. If she hadn't helped him in the second task...  
  
"There's no guarantee things would have been different if you had not helped him," Professor Dumbledore said. "Cedric's a bright young man, you know that. He would have done well on the tournament on his own."  
  
"None of us knew things would turn out this way."  
  
"I knew..."  
  
Professor Dumbledore looked at her, quite startled.  
  
"I had nightmares, Cedric was lying on the ground. Then there was one in a graveyard... I saw something... it was horrible... that graveyard, it was the same graveyard where Cedric was... I had seen omens but I ignored them..."   
  
The Headmaster was now seated next to her, consoling her as she sobbed uncontrollably.  
  
"You had seen things in your dreams?"   
  
Cho nodded. "Then during the third task," she said as she tried to stifle her cries. "I saw green light flash, and then Cedric was on the ground. It all happened real fast, in a blink of an eye..."  
  
"So, you have a gift. It's something not all wizards possess."  
  
"But I did not use it. I don't want this gift; I don't know how to use it. I never believed in this sort of things; I never believed in seers..."  
  
"Funny thing though, I heard you were taking Divination."  
  
Cho was surprised the Headmaster knew this. She had taken Divination only because she didn't know what classes to take. And Professor Trelawney never told her she had such gift. She usually tells her students if she saw potential in them.  
  
"I would not blame you if you decide not to pursue this talent. Seeing signs can be a burden, much more is interpreting what is to happen."  
  
It was as if the Headmaster knew what was going on inside her head.   
  
Professor Dumbledore now looked at her thoughtfully. "Remember, Cho, the stars don't give our destiny. Neither do crystal balls nor teacups. It is our choices that make our destiny."  
  
"But Cedric didn't do anything to deserve this, didn't he?"  
  
"Ah, my child, there are things none of us can explain. He certainly did nothing to warrant his death."  
  
"Now," he continued, "I must tell you, not everyone in our world believes what I told you about Cedric's death is true. The Minister himself deems it preposterous to even think Voldemort has risen."  
  
Cho cannot believe her ears. "Cedric died so senselessly. What did they think happened, it was all just an accident?"  
  
"Unfortunately, they do not believe Harry's account of what happened, and the Minister had disposed of the Death Eater who had helped Voldemort to rise."  
  
"He was there with him! Why wouldn't they believe him?" Cho was now furious. Is Cedric's death not enough evidence?  
  
"Alas, we cannot make people believe what they do not want to believe."  
  
================================  
  
Author's Note: Not my favorite, but I do hope you like it. I'm really not much when it comes to writing about grief or angst. Actually, this is the first time I attempted to write anything sad. I'm always about the happy stuff =)  
  
Anyway, it's almost two am. it's past my bedtime, got to go... and once again, thanks for reading! 


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